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NBC News is reporting that former Gov. Mitt Romney will not be in Dayton, Ohio this morning for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain's vice presidential announcement.

His absence means he will not be the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told members of his political action committee tonight that he will not be John McCain's vice presidential candidate and will not be in Dayton for the rally tomorrow, contrary to news reports Thursday. In an e-mail from Hucakbee to supporters obtained by PolitickerOH.com, the governor said he was never invited to Dayton. "There are reports that I’m on my way to Dayton tonight. Not true. Wasn’t invited to be there and any reports that I’m going to be there are a big surprise to me," Huckabee said.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry wrote all of his Wednesday primetime speech and the Obama campaign didn't vet it, PolitickerMA.com has learned.

Brigid O'Rourke, a spokeswoman for Kerry (D-Boston), told PolitickerMA.com Thursday that Kerry wrote the speech in its entirety and that there were no ghostwriters involved in the process. She also said that the speech was not vetted by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama or his campaign team. The speech only had to adhere to a time limit, O'Rourke said, and it was submitted directly to the teleprompter team.

Sources "with strong Michigan ties" are telling Roll Call that "the Secret Service has conducted a security sweep" of the Michigan home of former Gov. Mitt Romney’s sister, a possible indication that he is presumptive Republican nominee John McCain's vice presidential choice.

"However, one campaign operative familiar with the working of a presidential-level campaign cautioned that a sweep of such a location could have been conducted in advance of Romney appearing as a surrogate — not the vice presidential nominee — at an upcoming McCain campaign stop in Michigan."

An individual from the Brunswick area was arrested yesterday for sending a threatening e-mail to members of the Maine delegation.

The e-mail threatened one delegate specifically, but mentioned a number of other names of delegation members, said David Farmer, spokesman for Gov. John Baldacci. It was directed at the delegate and did not mention Barack Obama.

Baldacci was one of the people to whom the e-mail was sent, however it went into the spam folder, Farmer said.

The Republican National Committee rules committee has voted to grant New Hampshire an exception that would allow the Granite State to hold the first-in-the nation primary in 2012.

The resolution still faces hurdles over the week. Tomorrow the RNC itself will vote on the resolution, then on Friday the convention rules committee will vote and on Monday the entire convention will vote on the exception.

Gov. Ted Strickland is call for a special election to fill the seat of U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Cleveland), who passed away last week.

The election to fill the 11th Congressional District's seat for the next full term will be held on Nov. 18. A primary election, if needed, woudl be held on Oct. 14.

Strickland explained his legal reasoning in a statement.

DENVER -- State Sen. President Therese Murray and Attorney General Martha Coakley cast votes for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton Wednesday morning, PolitickerMA.com has learned.

Murray (D-Plymouth) is a delegate for Massachusetts and Coakley (D-Medford) a superdelegate. Both endorsed Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the presidential primary and both cast their votes following the Massachusetts delegation morning breakfast Wednesday.

Asked what they thought of Clinton’s speech last night, Murray raved about the performance. “Oh I don’t think you’ll ever find anyone who can give a more eloquent speech,” she told PolitickerMA.com.

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-Mass.): Getty Images PhotoFormer Massachusetts governor, ex-presidential candidate and, perhaps, future vice-presidential candidate Mitt Romney will host a Sept. 12 fundraiser for Republican Andy Harris's 1st District congressional campaign.

Romney will appear at a luncheon for the three-term Cockeysville state Senator, who defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Kennedyville) in the GOP primary earlier this year.

His appearance will come a week after the Republican National Committee Convention in Minneapolis, a place where many political observers believe he will accept the vice presidential nomination.

DENVER -- Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean interrupted this morning's Maine delegation breakfast to make some remarks and declared that the Democrats will be able to oust Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in the fall. The former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate predicted that U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, who is trailing Collins in the polls, will in the end unseat the incumbent by a few points.

"Susan Collins is politically adept, but we all know she's a secret Bush clone," Dean told the crowd.